January 22, 2016 Up on orders, up on visitors and up on popularity – opti stands for a successful boost to the new business year. opti comes to a close with over 27,500 trade visitors from 81 countries. In total, the visitors ordered products over the three days amounting to over €152.9m. The final impression among both visitors and exhibitors was extremely positive. The trade fair received top marks “outstanding to good” from 95.3% (visitors) and 91.7% (exhibitors).
An 8% increase in visitors, and the majority of these (63%) were industry decision-makers. These are the results of a visitor survey carried out at opti 2016.
“opti rocks the sector. With its fast pace, it brings a lot of momentum to the new business year. This event that is put on every year for the optical industry wins over everyone with its focus on quality, creative spirit and incomparably family-like atmosphere. opti triggers new trends, as the trade fair is flexible in meeting the needs of the market, and setting off new impulses,” says Dieter Dohr, CEO and President of GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH.
“opti is a home fixture for all specialists in the optical industry from Europe and, increasingly, from elsewhere in the world too. In the meantime, everyone knows that Munich’s at the top of the charts.” This international development can also be seen by the fact that opti is being used as a European stage to exchange market figures, developments and regulatory topics. For example, the European industrial association EUROM met for the first time at opti. Members of the European umbrella organisation for optometrists and opticians, the European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO), also met at the event.
For 70.3% of trade visitors, the trade fair is instrumental for their buying and ordering decisions. According to the questionnaire, the real decisive factors for the trade fair were “presence of market leaders”, the “completeness and breadth of products on show”, and the “international nature of exhibitors.” The fact that the 576 exhibitors fulfilled these three wishes is shown by the score given to “contentment” by the trade-fair audience at 95.3%, as already mentioned. For the first time in 2016, there were more international than national exhibitors in Munich (52%:48%).
Two new additions to the trade-fair portfolio met with a very positive reception. More than two thirds of visitors gave top grades to the focus topic “digital optometry” and for the premiere of the new !HOT area in Hall C1. This area, with over 60 firms alongside the 120 independent and fashion labels in the YES area, forms the opti-Design Chamber.
As a result of the expansion of the Munich Exhibition Centre to include two new halls, which will be available for opti 2019, the 2017 schedule must be moved by one day. This means that it will take place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday – from January 28th to 30th 2017 – in Munich.
Views on opti 2016:
Josef May, Chairman of the German Hightech Industry Association SPECTARIS:
“From the exhibitor’s perspective, we are very happy with opti 2016. We had a lot of traffic at our exhibition stands. The international reception was also very good. We felt that the visitors were really into opti and what was going on, and were searching for new things and innovations. There was also a lot of positive energy for successful sales support and imparting the vision experience ultimately to customers who wear contact lenses and glasses.”
Oliver Fischbach, Vice President EUROM1 (European Federation of optical industries):
“opti is the perfect stage to welcome European manufacturers, because they always enjoy international attention. It is a strong engine and right at the beginning of the year for positive business development.”
Thomas Truckenbrod, President of Central Association of ophthalmic Opticians and Optometrists (ZVA):
“opti has finally come of age. It is perfectly organised and sets itself apart with its motivated exhibitors and a comprehensive expert programme. Visitors are ever more interested in technical topics, which is plain to see from the number of spectators in the opti-Forum. It’s striking that opticians are interested in everything to do with services, regardless of whether it’s devices, equipment or eyeglass lenses. I was especially pleased that there were many young people there, finding out about our profession.”
More: www.opti.de